Boston Celtics Clinch Division Title and Share of Top Seed as Cavs Rest

With their 114-105 win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Boston Celtics have won the Atlantic Division title and guaranteed at least a tie atop the Eastern Conference.

There is one game remaining in the NBA regular season and the Boston Celtics have put themselves in a perfect position to finish as the number one seed in the East.

The Celtics took care of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, with Isaiah Thomas once again leading the way with 27 points.

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Five other Celtics score in double figures, including 18 for Avery Bradley and 19 point for Al Horford. The victory clinched the Atlantic Division title for the Celtics for the first time since the 2011-12 season, breaking a three-year streak of the Toronto Raptors finishing atop the division.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers appeared less interested in gaining the top spot in the conference. LeBron James sat out with a sore calf, Kyrie Irving sat with a sore knee, and Tristan Thompson continued to sit after spraining his thumb last week. Kevin Love was questionable with an illness, but ended up playing 36 minutes. The Cavs lost 124-121 in overtime to a desperate Miami Heat team for their third straight loss.

Monday night provided a serious shake up in the Eastern Conference’s playoff positioning. The Celtics now sit one game ahead of Cleveland with each team having one game left to play.

Tied for the top

Even with a loss, the Celtics have guaranteed that the worst they can do is finish the season with the same record as the Cavaliers. Cleveland holds the tiebreaker over the Celtics should the two teams finish with the same record, but doing so should be considered a major accomplishment, considering Boston is technically still in the rebuilding process.

The destiny of the Celtics lay in their own hands: all they need to do on Wednesday is win to clinch the first seed and guarantee home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

In addition to the change atop the conference, Miami’s victory over Cleveland also keeps them on the edge of playoff contention. The final spots to be decided across the NBA are the seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference, otherwise known as the teams the Celtics could end up playing. The Indiana Pacers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 120-111 on Monday night, while the Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic 122-75.

The Pacers currently control the seventh seed, while the Heat remain tied with the Bulls for the eighth seed. Chicago owns the tiebreaker over Miami and Miami has the tiebreaker over Indiana, so the final game of the season for all three teams will be critical in determining who could be coming to Boston when the playoffs begin on April 15th.

The Celtics finish up the season at home against the hot Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, while Cleveland hosts the third seed Raptors. The Pacers will host the Atlanta Hawks, the Heat will host the Washington Wizards, and the Bulls will host the Nets all on the final day of the NBA season on Wednesday.

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The Celtics will be waiting until the season’s final seconds tick away to discover who their first playoff opponent will be.

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